Paradise Hills

I found this movie on the Kanopy site subscribed to by my public library. Featuring young Emma Roberts is what mainly drew me to it.

The storyline explained here on IMDb states "undetermined future" but I don't think so. To me it is more likely an "alternate universe", where we witness a flying car, much like the Delorean in BTTF2, a woman with mystical powers, rose bushes that can wrap around a person to immobilize them, and a locket that can project a 3-D holographic image of a young girl and her deceased dad. Not stuff we are ever likely to find in our future world.

Young Uma in this story is to be married but she balks, then wakes up in a facility with no knowledge of how she got there. Seems she is destined to spend two months there to be properly groomed and convinced to marry the man. But it is not that simple, there are very sinister things going on at Paradise Hills, a facility built on a very small island out in the ocean.

Filmed in Spain, the production values are good but most viewers attracted to mainstream movies will not get much enjoyment from this one. I enjoyed it for the novelty, I found it entertaining, but overall I don't rate it particularly high.

This is a kind of thing a teenager might enjoy watching because it definitely feels like the story was written by one. Or may be like some obscure comic book adaptation that looks ok on paper but is just too shallow for screen.

I thought the movie had some creepy moments and overall tries to build a feeling of mystery. But the ending was just terrible. We didn't see it coming and it made me angry. Wait for this one at Redbox, trust me. Save that movie theater money for something better.

Watched this on Netflix not having read review or plot. In a nutshell a young adult dystopian Sci-fi movie reminiscent of Stepford Wives without the intelligence, acting, script or direction.

Nice and interesting looks/visuals meet slow plot and a too obvious/blunt metaphor to our modern society (or the critic of) - some of the twists are rather flat (the resolution) or the nature of the Dutchess (how does that make any sense) is out of place. The more you watch the inflation of movies one realizes that writing a good book or script is an art of its own that not many really master. That's in my opinion the weak spot of most movie productions in recent years - the script/story. Anyway, like said, Paradise Hills got nice visuals, a pro production and good acting but lacks heavily any quality regarding the story told. Also I must say (just an example), the rather "well build" girl did - despise the rigorose diet in Paradise Hills - not lose one pound of weight in the movie, but that's the difference a dedicated actor makes - sometimes you gotta do more than just talk and act to fit into or fill a role. To sum it up: mediocre, okay if you wanna some balm for your eyes. Paradise Hills reminds me a lot of The Dead Don't Die - both movies are rather a waste of talent and means and a missed opportunity to make something good and memorable.